HARRY LAID DOWN IN FRONT of the television with two pillows on his back and a bowl of cereal sitting on his stomach. He was shirtless and a couple droplets of milk had managed to spill on his chest but he had not done anything to get it up. An ice pack sat on his bruised leg and I stood in the corner of the room, gnawing away at my nails. We had barely spoken since I beat him with his bat but when he woke up this morning, he told me the pain was really settling in. I called Clare and told her we were unable to make it into work today. I simply told her Harry was sick and she was surprised I was taking care of him.

Then I remembered she had no idea what was going on between Harry and I.

I was afraid to go wipe the milk off Harry's chest, afraid he would yell at me or something. I had to help him downstairs earlier and every other step, he was complaining about how moving was hurting him. I offered to take him to the hospital but he just told me to take him to the living room so he could watch his prerecorded shows. I obeyed and we had not exchanged a word since then. I knew he was mad; it was clear on his face and he was not trying to hide it one bit. The Harry from four something this morning was different from the Harry I was looking at now. He was no longer calm about what had happened. His true colors about the situation were showing and I wanted to cry.

"Harry," I called out and his body tensed.

"Sydney, I'm really not in the mood to—"

"Do you need anything?" I blurted. "I...I can get you whatever you need. Do you want something else to eat? I can go cook some eggs and bacon or something. I don't know. Just tell me what it is you want and I'll go get it for you."

He moved his bowl of cereal off his stomach and his green eyes met my gaze, "I don't want you to get anything for me. I want you to come over here and sit down with me. Stop acting like I'm going to bite you because I'm not. You look frightened and I don't want to see anything other than your smile." I hesitated and stayed where I was. Why did he want me to sit beside him when I hurt him? I did not understand why he was still being nice when his facial expressions showed otherwise. Why was he still letting me live here? If I were him, I would have kicked me out as soon as possible. "Come on, then. There's no need to be afraid."

I hurried to sit down beside him and he propped himself up on one elbow. His fingers ran along the back of my shirt and I was frozen. His fingers felt like little spiders running up and down my back and it took everything in me not to shriek and jump up. His fingers also felt magical and I did not want him to stop what he was doing. But when I felt a sharp pain right by my spine, I gasped out and turned my head to see Harry putting his hand back down on the floor.

"Did you just—"

"Pinch you?" he grinned and nodded his head before closing his eyes. "Now, we're even."

"Really?" my eyes lit up.

He opened one eye, "No. You owe me an explanation."

"Pardon?"

"My gun scared you and it shouldn't have affected you the way it did. You beat me senseless with my own baseball bat without telling me exactly why. I honestly thought you were going to kill me and I haven't even confessed all of my feelings to you, yet."

"Wait, what—"

"So, explain yourself."

I shook my head, fear rising within me, "Harry, I can't—"

"I don't want to hear you say that. You can but you just don't want to. After beating me like that, I kind of deserve to know, right?"

"But—"

"Sydney," he opened his other eye.

I exhaled slowly and turned my body around entirely to face him. He grabbed the TV remote and turned it off. The living room was silent and I stared down at my lap, the palms of my hands sweating and my heart was beating a mile a minute against my chest. I felt hot and I already knew my face was red. My eyes were beginning to water and when I shook my head again, I felt my bun moving about on top of my head.

Harry cleared his throat, "I didn't mean to make you cry. You don't have to explain yourself to me if—"

"I thought I knew the definition of love," I said, looking at Harry with glazed over eyes. His eyes were slightly wide and he looked shocked that I was even telling him this. "I thought I knew everything because I was young and dumb. Hell, I still am." I looked away from Harry and smiled. "But when I met him, I thought life was finally changing for me...for the better. He swept me off my feet, as some would say, and he made me happy. We all have those moments when we feel like we've finally met our partner. I thought he was the one for me and I never wanted to let him go."

Harry was sitting up now, his back pressed firmly against the sofa.

"We were happy. We talked about so many things we wanted to do and we set goals for our future. Things were looking good for us. We were engaged and we were working on getting an apartment together. I just...I don't know what happened." I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. I heard Harry take a deep breath and I felt hands wrap around my wrists, pulling my hands away from my soaking wet face. Harry's eyes were suddenly centimeters away from mine and I saw the sadness in them.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Everything was falling apart little by little," I continued. "He lost his job and my mother was struggling to keep things together at home. It was a mess. I wanted to help and Elijah and I found a way to make things better. We found a way to fix all of our problems." I smiled at the memory but it was soon enough replaced with a frown. "Our aid soon enough went wrong and before I knew it, Elijah had been shot to death and I was left alone with nothing but an engagement ring and memories of the past."

I closed my eyes and just as I did so, more tears fell from my eyes. I was pulled close against Harry's chest and he grunted. I felt guilty for this. His back was aching and he was only making it worse by comforting me. He was always comforting me, I had realized. Since I moved in, that was pretty much all he had done for me. I placed my hands against his bare chest and pushed him away slightly. He looked confused but I turned my attention down to the floor.

"I'm sorry," I said, choking on a sob.

"Don't do that," he sounded somewhat angry. I looked up at him and he ran his thumb against my right cheek. "Bullets do not have a name on them, Sydney. You cannot apologize for something someone else did. It isn't right and," he kissed the tip of my nose, "the person who did it will get a taste of their own medicine."

"I keep troubling you." I frowned.

"Says who?" he tilted his head to the side. "Have I complained about you troubling me?"

"No, but—"

"Then you aren't troubling me," he cut me off.

I looked to the side, "Why haven't you kicked me out, yet? I know you want to. Deep down, you don't want me staying here because it's killing you on the inside. I gave you a good enough reason to kick me out so why haven't you done it?" I looked back at him and my body was slightly shaking. "I know you think I'm insane for what I did."

"You don't know what goes on inside of my mind," he said.

"You're so calm about everything," I tugged at the roots of my hair. "Why aren't you screaming at me for hitting you? Why haven't you tried to make me feel the way I made you feel when I swung the bat?"

He sighed and forced me to look at him, "You don't destroy the person you love, Doll."

"How can you just sit there and act as if—"

"Let's go somewhere."

I blinked, "W-What?"

He was looking at the clock above the TV, "It's still early but I think we can get there before the hormonal teenagers and grandparents with their grandchildren."

"I'm sorry, what?" I wiped my eyes.

"We can go just like this. Say, are you wearing a bra?"

"I..." I scratched the side of my head. "No, they're uncomfortable to sleep in."

"You should probably go put one on, then. We'll be leaving in fifteen. Possibly thirty depending on how my back feels."

"We shouldn't be going anywhere with your back like this."

He smiled, "I think we could both use a distraction right now, Doll."

"Where would we even go like this? Who would even allow us to go anywhere like this? We look like bums. I look like I don't have any pants on and you're shirtless."

"Therefore, we look perfectly fine."

Harry then stood up from the floor and groaned a bit, placing his hand on his back. I immediately stood up and studied him closely. I did not want him going anywhere until he got better. It was my fault he was like this and the only thing I could do was stand nearby and watch. There was nothing I could do to stop him from going out. A part of me wanted to see where he would take us but the other wanted to stay here and cuddle with Harry.

He leaned forward, pressing his nose against mine. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as he placed his hands firmly on my waist. His lips slowly met mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening our kiss and making every second we had count. His lips were soft and mine craved them like a woman craved sugar while on her period. I never wanted to let him go so when he tried to pull away, I pulled him right back.

"Eager, are we?" he chuckled against my lips.

"You," a kiss, "are just so," a breathless kiss, "perfect."

"There is only one perfect person in this world and it isn't me."

"Who is it, then?" I asked and he cocked an eyebrow at me. "Oh. It's Oprah, isn't it?"

He laughed and removed my arms from around his neck, "Go put on your bra so we can get out of here and have a little fun."

"Right, I forgot all about that."

I turned around to leave and when I felt a hand on my butt, I let out a squeal and nearly jumped at least twenty feet in the air. I turned my head to scold Harry but he only smiled and winked at me. I flicked him off and hurried up the stairs to put on my bra. I danced on my way to my bedroom and I fist pumped the air a couple times. I was excited about what was going to happen but I did not know where we were going, exactly. I did not care just as long as I was with him.

I hummed excitedly as I took off my shirt to put on my bra. I never felt so happy about putting on a bra. I fastened the back of it and put my arms back through the sleeves of my shirt. Harry said we could go dressed like this so I assumed we were not going anywhere fancy. I found my sandals underneath the bed and I slid my feet into them before going back downstairs. Harry was sitting on the sofa with his keys in hand and some flip flops covering his feet.

"You look excited," he grinned.

"I'm pumped."

"Have on a bra?"

I was tempted to lift up my shirt and show him but decided against it, "Yep."

"Let's go, then."

"Wait," I paused. "You got to eat breakfast. That isn't fair."

"My bowl of cereal is still sitting on the floor."

"What if we get hungry?"

"I'll buy us something."

"No, let me!" I yelped. "I'll buy us something if we get hungry."

"Do you even have your purse with you?" he asked and I frowned, realizing it was upstairs. "Come on. You can pay me back when we come back to the house, how about that? Sound good to you?"

I smiled, liking his idea, and helped him off the sofa. The milk was no longer on his chest and I was slightly disappointed. We held hands as we walked out of the house and I waited for Harry to lock the door before going to the truck. The doors were unlocked and I hopped in, buckling my seat belt and kicking my shoes off like we would be in the car for a while. Harry turned the key in the ignition and we were off. I let my window down and pulled my hair out of its bun. I allowed it to blow in the wind and I laughed. Harry smiled beside me and he shook his head at my foolishness. He was speeding a bit down the road and I closed my eyes, enjoying the thrill of all of it.

Freedom.

Something I had not felt in quite some time.

I was able to smell him from where I was and he smelled like men's body wash—the kind that drove the ladies crazy—and a little bit like milk. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was sitting firmly on his lap. I took this opportunity to grab it and when our fingers intertwined, his hand tightened around mine. I looked at all the trees we passed and I smiled at the sight of the sun. I did not have any sunglasses but it was all right. I wanted to take everything in naturally, not have them darkened by the shades.

"Where are we going?" I asked over the wind.

He widened his smile, "Enjoy the ride, Sydney."

We stopped talking after that. I continued to look at our surroundings and when we were in the main part of the city, Harry drove like a good citizen. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by back by the trees and he was speeding again. I still held onto Harry's hand and neither one of us once tried to let go. It was if our hands were glued together. A flock of birds flew over the trees and I was fascinated by the view.

But an even better view was right beside me.

I leaned back against my seat and watched Harry drive. He watched the road with determined eyes and I enjoyed watching him. We both left our cell phones at the house and I was glad we did. We could forget about the world around us and have fun without anyone trying to get in contact with us. The smell of saltwater filled my nostrils and when I looked out of the window, I saw the ocean. I sat up and realized he was taking me to the beach. It was not the same beach Greysen had taken me to. This one was better. There were not many people out but those who were here were simply laid out on the sand, not giving the ocean the proper attention it deserved.

"Oh, my goodness," I breathed. "Hurry up and park the car so we can get in the water!"

Harry laughed, "Calm down. We can stay here as long as we want."

"Look at that water!" I was practically leaning out of the truck and the only thing keeping me from falling out and breaking my neck was the seat belt. My hand was still locked with Harry's and I could not wait to get in the water. I stopped, realization hitting me like a sleeping pill and I looked back at Harry. "Ah, so that's why you wanted me to go put on a bra."

"Unless you wanted to get in the water without one," he was smiling from ear to ear.

I did not have the chance to respond because he had finally parked. I unbuckled the seat belt and nearly tripped while getting out. I slammed the door shut and Harry took his sweet time getting out. I waited for him and when he was close enough, I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the water. We did not run because of his back, but it was more of a jog rather than a walk. I stopped once my feet left the pavement of the parking lot and met the warm sand.

"Whoa," I stared at the ocean in awe.

"Your reaction to the water is cute."

I did not hesitate to pull my shirt over my head and wiggle out of my pajama shorts. I kicked my sandals to the side and watched as Harry took off his bottoms. Seeing him in only his boxers made my heart threaten to crawl right out of my throat and I just wanted to tackle him to the ground and kiss him. But he took me by the hand and led me out to the water. Once the water touched my toes, more excitement filled me and I pulled Harry out until the water reached my knees and his thighs.

Harry pulled me close and our chests bumped. His eyes flickered down to my bra before meeting my gaze. He moved my hair away from my eyes and kissed my forehead. I squealed when he lifted me up, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist. He held me with one arm while his free hand touched my bare skin.

"I want to kiss you here," he said as he touched my jawline. "Here," his fingers moved to my neck. "Here," they moved to the top of my breasts. "Here," he was touching my stomach. "And most definitely here," he put his hand down and pressed his lips against mine. He tugged my bottom lip into his mouth and I breathed in sharply, melting voluntarily in his arms. He kissed me exactly where he said he wanted to and my fingers tangled in his hair. His lips moved from my jawline to my neck and over my cleavage in a matter of seconds. He pulled me closer to him and I was almost afraid he would drop me into the water. A soft groan escaped my lips and I wanted more. My arms tightened around him as if he would leave me and I never wanted to let him go.

"God," I nearly choked as his lips continued to kiss my skin.

He seemed like a masterpiece, hand-carved by gods from the purest stone ever made. I loved the way he made me feel. It had to be love; there was no other way to explain the way I felt. His lips moved back to my neck and I shuddered underneath his touch. I frowned when he pulled away and put me back down into the water.

"Hey," I looked at him. "What gives?"

"I'm sorry," he grinned, his lips slightly swollen. "I'm afraid that if we continue, we might do things we aren't quite ready for."

"Oh, please," I chuckled. "I'm ready for anything you throw my way, Harry. Wanna know how I know I'm ready for this relationship?"

"Tell me."

"I love you just as much as you love me."

His eyes widened and for a split second, I thought I made him uncomfortable. He lifted me up again and when our foreheads met, we were both nearly out of breath. I knew his heart was beating fast like mine and I knew he was thrilled about me confessing how I felt about him. We panted together and I watched as he closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead against mine.

"You have no idea how much I love you, Sydney Evans."